


Revali is a snoop

by fraggo



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: M/M, Snooping, and doesnt know what emotions are, mentions of the other champions, mipha is also pining, mipha/link is onesided, not urbosa, revali being an asshole, revali is a snoop, revali is pining, revali/link is man who knows, shes cool, urbosa - Freeform, urbosa is chilling somewhere else, watching your friends like a weirdo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2018-10-29 20:32:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10861563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fraggo/pseuds/fraggo
Summary: Revali is not a snoop.Revali is just curious about what Mipha and Link are talking about.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i am posting this on my phone because i dropped my laptop so im very sorry if anything is weird! :c anyways this will probably be continued if you guys are interested in that!! (pls tell me if you are because i have some sweet ideas!!)

Revali is typically curious-- though, no, many would not just call him curious, but in fact a gigantic snoop. He begs to differ. He quells his curiosity quite well. To call him a snoop would imply that he is a person that digs around people’s private lives. To call him a snoop implies that he actually cares about other people’s personal information and private lives. Honestly, snoop is such a powerful word; while he is one powerful and good looking and honestly spectacular bird, he isn’t much of a snoop.

Or, at least, that’s what he claims. It’s not only that he claims it, but he knows it.

Well.

Then he stumbles upon a certain Zora warrior taking measurements of a certain Hylian warrior and he suddenly finds himself feeling very snoopy. 

It’s a breezy summer's day where the other champions are meandering around, doing whatever they like, and Revali finds himself friendless and bored yet again. Situated near Zora’s Domain, their camp isn’t the most interesting place to be. Sure, the stones glow a dazzling blue at night, and the water is clean and crisp and blue as the sky, but he can’t just sit around with his wings folded over his chest, staring at rocks all day. Goddesses forbid. So he goes and finds his own fun.

That fun manifests itself in the act of observing (simply observing, not snooping on) his fellow team members. He is a bird of many talents. He is also incredibly handsome, his feathers outshine all others and, not to brag, but he is quite possibly the best archer in the world-- forget best archer of the Rito, honestly, he’s far better than any of the archers in his entire race.

Just being humble, of course.

He finds out that day that he is also very very good at snooping.

“Link,” he hears Mipha speak from the rock he has situated himself behind. He presses an ear to the cold stone, hoping to hear better, and gods above, it does just the trick. “Can you please stick your arms out? I need your arm length for the sleeves.”

Revali hears a bit of shuffling. When he peeks over the rock with squinted eyes, he sees Link has done just that. He’s wearing his typical knight's garb with ruby earrings dangling from his long (unnatural, weird, dumb, stupid looking) ears. Mipha smiles gratefully and holds out the measuring tape she has. She reads the measurements, hums, and writes it down on a pad of note paper with a scaled pen. Then she proceeds to do the same with the other arm, handling every inch of Link with evident care and grace. Everything about the moment feels oddly intimate, as if he shouldn’t be watching. A factor might be that they’re tucked away on top of a lonely blue-stoned mountain that shimmers in the night, far away from Zora’s Domain and even farther from their camp. It’s obvious that they didn't want to be followed. 

Slowly, he shakes his head, still observing their movements.

When was he ever one to care?

“Thank you,” she pats him on his cheek gently and Link smiles with the same amount of gentle. “You are such a gentleman,” she jokes. Link laughs, as expected; but then, with a goofy flourish, he bends down and plucks a flower from the ground and places it in her hands, dazzling smile shining like rupees. 

She holds a hand to her mouth to quell her smile and twirls it in her fingers. She places it behind his ears and then says, “you would make a wonderful prince, Link.” To which Link’s charming smile becomes goofier as he rubs at the back of his reddened neck. Shyly, he touches the flower, placing it to his heart. Mipha's tail begins to wag before her spine goes straight and she catches herself. Revali glowers at them from his place behind the rock. He can just barely see their torsos from here and entertains the thought of chucking rocks at them. He does not throw rocks at them. He is better than that. 

As he watches Mipha flit about, measuring Link, testing fabrics against his skin and hair and eyes (and gods, how many colours can there actually be), it becomes painfully obvious just how smitten she is with him. Her smile is brighter than usual. Her eyes trail along his body-- though he doesn’t even seem to notice that she has wandering eyes-- and when they do make eye contact, he smiles and she smiles back and, ugh, Revali feels like he might just throw up.

After a fit of giggling over what Link signs, Mipha gently take his hands, guiding them to various spots on his body, pointing out what may be different from her Zora anatomy. She tells him that tunics for Hylians are typically smaller, and they don’t have gills, nor tails, to which he responds with a deft hand movement and she chokes on her laughter. He, personally, chokes on his own vomit.

He’s glad that he bet on Mipha being in love with Link all those moons ago. It was a spur of the moment decision (on Daruk’s part) as they were seated around the campfire, drinks in hand, fish on the fire. Daruk will owe him a cool twenty rupees when he gets back to camp with this information. Zelda bet that Link felt the same way about Mipha; a whole one-hundred rupees could be theirs if they proved her wrong.

The way that Link smiles at her and laughs silently (and when it isn’t silent it’s gruff and gravelly from disuse, and Revali feels something akin to jealousy bubble up in him), he can basically sense his pockets loosening a hundred rupees. 

In the background, Mipha laughs at something Link signs so hard that she snorts, and Link laughs back, shoulders shaking in silent mirth. 

He scowls, then sighs, then slides down the rock and puts his wing over his face. Not sure at exactly what spurred it, he pinpoints it to his paycheck being drained by his very employer in the next few weeks. Yes. That one is it.

“Link, this is embarrassing,” he hears Mipha giggle. Immediately, he peeks his head over the rock again. If he’s going to be a snoop he is going to embrace it, dammit. “But I need you to take your shirt off.”

Revali smiles for a beat, expecting to find it funny, but instead it just feels plain awful-- like a sharp knife stabbing through his chest, or something clawing at his gut painfully. That smile twitches, breaking into a grimace, and he shoves a wing over it to suppress the confusing emotions. 

What is wrong with him?

Link seems to hesitate for a minute, blue eyes that are blue as blue can get (not that he notices) flitting around and looking anywhere but her. With a hesitant shrug, he pulls his shirt off and chucks it right in Revali’s direction. He barely stops himself from girlishly screaming when the shirt soars right towards him, landing perfectly in front of his hiding spot. Peeking out once again, he wonders if that was intentional and if Link really can see him snooping on their conversation. 

With squinted eyes he takes in the poker face of the Hylian. 

(He also takes in his features. The soft smiles, hard eyes, sickly sweet laughter, eyes that rival the glowing stones back in the camp, hair that is haphazardly braided but still looks soft. He smiles at him, practically melting, then realizes that he must look like a dumb lovestruck child, and forces his smile into a stony look. He can still feel his heart beating rapidly.)

No. He is far too dumb to realize that Revali is here. 

Something in his mind screams for him to leave, but his feet stay planted behind the rock, his wings glued to his side, and he shuts his beak as he stares at Link and only Link. 

His feathers are ruffled but he doesn’t dare mentally acknowledge it himself, because the more he stares at Link (and those stupid abs that he has-- why does he have abs?!) the more they ruffle and fluff around him. He feels like he’s going to explode at one point so he ducks behind the rock and takes in a deep breath of air.

He collects his thoughts. He tells himself to calm down. He tells himself that this is stupid and that he shouldn’t even have snooped on the lovers in the first place. Then, mind a bit more calm, he pops his head up again and continues to watch.

Mipha seems a bit flustered at his reaction, but continues to gently measure around him. His chest, his waist, his legs, and her hand lingers on the muscles whenever it can, and they make eye contact, and she smiles, but Link looks the tiniest bit uncomfortable with her hands.

He doesn’t suppress the grin that threatens to overtake his face. 

Point one for Revali.

(Even though this does not involve him in any way.) 

The feeling of pain has been reduced, warped into something different-- a cruel kind of amusement at watching Mipha struggle to keep eye contact with Link, he supposes. 

They continue on for about ten more minutes. Mipha measures, writes something down, Link rocks back and forth on his heels looking like he's about to fall asleep, she stops writing and the cycle repeats yet again. Then (after what seems like hours of watching Link fight to stay awake) Mipha hands Link his shirt back and rolls up her measuring tape.

“I’m finished,” she declares, carefully jotting down one more number on her notepad. Link nods and pulls his shirt back on. He gathers his gear, hoists it upon his back, and turns to leave back to the camp, then Mipha catches his arm, and Revali’s eyebrow shoots sky high in response. 

“W-Wait.”

Link nods once again, halting in his motions, and turns back to face her. He is confused. Revali can sense it. 

“I-I would like to thank you,” Mipha starts, bowing her head. Revali takes notice of the way she messes with the fins on her head. To him, it feels as if something is going unsaid. But, of course, that’s just him.

Just genius, perceptive, non-snoopy him.

“You really did not have to spend time with me, but you did. I am… very grateful,” she offers an anxious smile, eyes flitting from the ground to Link for a second before she becomes fascinated with the rocks beneath her once again.

Link returns the smile-- more toothy, less anxious. He waves it off and signs something easily-- and of course Revali never learnt that dumb Hylian hand language so he can’t understand-- which causes Mipha’s cheeks to go red and her head-tail-thing to start wagging profusely.

He huffs.

Dumb...

... is all he can say, because the waterfall of emotions that’s pouring through him won’t allow him to articulate how he would want to. 

Quickly after Link leaves, and Mipha is left alone in the clearing, and Revali is there, Revali himself doesn’t leave. 

Mainly because if he were to summon an updraft it would be heard by her keen ears and a spear would surely be sent flying in his direction, but a part of it is also that he wants to observe some more. It’s not like Mipha’s too interesting, though; she sings and sits in pools of crystal clear water, highlighted by the sun, and picks flowers with delicate hands. Her voice is soft, mellow, calm, with a slight accent, and if Revali didn’t hate her (meaning if he weren’t absolutely seething with jealousy) he might have found it pretty. Because it is quite pretty. 

But he will never admit that out loud. 

He considers chasing after Link and making fun of him for what just transpired, then thinks of Mipha’s spear and her shocking strength, and decides to stick to the rock and wait for just the right moment to fly away. 

Eventually that moment does come. When Mipha stops singing gently to herself Revali pops his head over the rock, only to find that the Zora princess is headed in the other direction, a basket of papers and flowers on her arm. He blinks slowly, once, twice, then takes off flying in the other direction in a whirlwind. Right before he leaves he hears Mipha speaking to herself while she picks at petals. There's a slight trickle of rain.

“I wonder if he will like the Zora tunic…”

As he flies over the cliffs, feeling the becoming of rain on his feathers, he thinks on that.

Huh.

He’ll have to ask what exactly a Zora tunic is when he gets back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> welcome to another chapter of "revali ignores link and his feelings".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wanted to try my hand at writing urbosa and give revali somebody he got along with so!!! here she is :) this might have two more chapters? honestly i started this whole story off a bit odd but i am going to continue and see how my ideas work out. hope you enjoy!! next chapter will probably be pretty long c: (also if you see any typos please point them out i got a new keyboard and it's really weird. much appreciated <3)

Revali flies back to the camp and sleeps. 

He sleeps to get all thoughts of that scene out of his mind. Yet sleep does not come for hours, so he spends his night staring up at the stars, counting each one till his eyes grow heavy. 

Then the next day the Champions go scouting for different monsters in the area, and when Revali is shot by a shock arrow, he makes a point of not going to Mipha for healing, afraid of the awkward air he’s sure to cause. Instead of healing his wounds, he bandages them with what little experience he has, and ignores the fried feathers and skin. This goes on for a week until he finds it hard to stand. The gashes are deep and bloody, so he finally agrees to a session of healing with Mipha. Nothing is awkward about it. Mipha barely speaks to him, so deep in concentration, and Revali watches her every move, still seated with the odd realization that this girl loves Link. 

Mipha sends him back to camp with a soft pat on the back (which he does his best to not recoil away from) and a promise of talking later. When he arrives back to camp it is devoid of anything. The fire is put out, the beds are made, there are small blue birds gathering around his tent (which he shoos away), and no sign of the Champions being here is evident other than a few blueprints of their beasts lying on Zelda’s desk.

It’s silent, oddly so, and the stones have begun to glow in the slowly approaching night. Typically a camp full of champions is loud, catastrophically so. Daruk is a ball of energy with a voice of steel, stone, and rough baritone, and he is annoyingly, obnoxiously loud. Urbosa is a chief (and the only one that Revali enjoys talking to); more reserved, with a heartier laugh, and the kind of drunk who insists on seeing whose voice carries more over the empty, cavernous mountains of Hyrule: hers or Zelda’s. And Zelda is Zelda; and Zelda is competitive; and despite being a princess she is one hell of a yeller. 

Mipha is quiet. Even looking at her this week causes annoyance to bubble up where it usually didn’t. Link has never spoken a word in his life but his presence is loud and it annoys Revali as well. And his hair is stupid. Don’t even get him started on that young Zora that Mipha frequently brings along for visits with the Champions of Hyrule. Those visits should be small chats, yet every time Revali is approached by him, he always finds himself stuck speaking with a child with a smile of diamonds for what seems like hours. 

What was his name? It started with an ‘S’, yet Revali can’t find it in his being to care enough to conjure it up. 

The silence is usually welcome.

But the camp is lonely. Daruk isn’t there being annoying so he can yell at him, Zelda isn’t chatting his ear off about the wonders of their beasts, Mipha isn’t there so he can observe her steady movements as she polishes her spear, Urbosa isn’t there to speak with, Link isn’t there to be… Link.

Link. 

He thinks on him for a second. 

All his mind seems to conjure up is the simple statement of “he’s nice”, which makes Revali want to hurl at the simplicity and implications. Hating Link is hard when Link himself is just so… nice.

And then there’s Mipha. Yes, Revali likes Mipha. She’s a sweet girl who is always there for him no matter what, no matter how dumb his injury or how minute his problem. Yet, despite all her sweetness, ever since that day when he so foolishly snooped, he can’t help but notice every small advance she makes towards Link.

Of course it doesn’t bother him; Link and Mipha are free to interact if they so choose-- it’s just a common thing to talk and be friends with your teammates. Why would it bother him? He’s not like Mipha, desperately pining away at a boy who will never feel the same way. Him and Link don’t even talk. He’s not bothered. He is in no way afraid to try and befriend him. 

He sits himself down on a cliff and sighs. 

Then he moves on, planning in his mind how he will go about killing that Lynel that is harassing the Zora people-- the whole reason the Champions travelled all this way to the domain. Perhaps he will slay it himself. Using a gale he can float above the beast, then pelt it with arrows, then he can rinse and repeat until it’s dead. Killing a Lynel is hard, but he can do it. After all he is strong. Surely the people will see him as a worthy champion-- perhaps they will even worship him! 

He laughs outwardly, stretching himself out on the edge of the cliff. The rain in the domain has slowed down by now.

What a thought to entertain; his name being chanted by crowds, a statue made out of ruby and diamonds in his memory, Link fawning over him, the true title of a Champion, one that he knows he earned on his lonesome, with no aid, no other Champions helping...

...wait. 

One of those was wrong. He frantically pulls himself up off of the floor, eyes wide, and realizes.

Link was not supposed to be a part of his fantasies. Huge statues of himself and crowds cheering for him, sure, but Link? No. That boy is not supposed to be even involved in the situation! It is supposed to be Revali and only Revali regarded as a true warrior and champion. No Link. 

But…

He thinks of Link. Of his smile, his laugh, his archery, his non verbal jokes, the warmth he radiates, and he admits that being a champion alone would be lonely. Maybe he could take someone along for the ride. Maybe they could ride the coattails of his glory and skills. Maybe they could be more than that…

Maybe they could be somebody to talk to. Or to hug and groom and share a bed with. Or kill monsters with. A friend. No, something more than a friend. 

Maybe they could be Link.

Before he can slap himself across the face for thinking something so foolish and disgusting, someone plonks themself down next to him, startling him. Their earrings are the first thing he hears, clinking against each other. He realizes who it is before he looks over.

“Urbosa,” he greets without looking to her.

They don’t look at each other. He and Urbosa are not on bad terms like him and the rest of the Champions, quite the contrary; in fact, it’s harrowing that they rarely talk. When they do it’s surprisingly enjoyable. It’s surprisingly comfortable. Perhaps she just has that effect on people, but he feels at ease with her-- like they're old friends despite having met only a month ago. A month ago he despised each and every Champion. What a change of heart he’s had.

A month ago he hated Link, yet now there are feelings there that he won’t acknowledge--partly because he’s afraid and partly because he doesn't know what exactly they are himself. 

Urbosa is less confusing though. An obvious friend. She’s mature and humorous. He’s glad to be among other like minded people on this trip. She doesn’t have grubby hands nor does she tolerate any sort of bullshit, so she’s the only one that Revali allows anywhere in close proximity to him.

“Revali,” she greets back. He realizes he must have been too curt with her by her tone. 

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” He continues, looking over at her. She stares contemplatively out at the large expanse of water, studying the Zora’s domain in the distance, before turning to him with a smile.

“You’re fun to watch think. I was watching for quite awhile,” she admits, not without humour. “You are… very expressive, Revali. It’s almost as if I can tell what you’re thinking just by the way your face changes.”

He prickles but Ubosa regards him with a hearty laugh, “don’t take offense to it, bird brain.”

“I suppose I should take offense to that, then?”

She contemplates him for a moment with half lidded eyes before smirking, “I suppose,” she agrees, resting a hand upon her cheek. Her earrings clink once again and he actually feels comfortable with the silence for once. As they watch the sunset together, orange and pinks filling the sky, he can’t stop thinking. Urbosa’s presence has quieted down the thoughts to static, yet they're still there, present and annoying and always of Link. Finally, he sighs, irritably, fed up with thoughts of blonde hair and blue tunics, and Urbosa finally speaks again.

“Thinking?” She asks simply. 

He grunts. 

Lightly, she teases, “don’t think too hard. You might explode.” 

He laughs at this, “right back at you. I heard Gerudo aren’t too accustomed to using their brains.”

She hollers at this and he tucks away his smile, trying hard not to let her see how pleased he is with himself at making somebody laugh like that.

“Can’t fit too much in that head of yours,” she shoots back with a smile, head rested against her palm. She’s studying Revali with her eyes. 

He studies back, eyebrows lifted, and mocks her cross legged pose, “did you just come here to snoop on me?”

“Snooping would imply that I was interested.”

“Ouch,” he smirks, “you truly did wound me.”

“Zing,” she says with all pearly whites showing.

They both share a laugh, the realization that he’s comfortable with one of his weird teammates not going over his head-- however, he chooses to ignore it in favour of listening to Urbosa speak. She chatters on about the mission she went on today (with Daruk, scouting out the Lynel they were sent to kill, and he laughs at it because she would laugh at his stupid fantasies if she knew) and he nods along, mostly studying the water below, but taking in her words. She talks about their teammates, their mission, her hometown, and he listens, just barely, though-- his fantasies are rather loud and vibrant. Then when she’s finally finished distracting him, she lays a hand upon his shoulder, snapping him straight out of his newest fantasy: Revali Kills Ganon, Thus Saving Link and The Whole of Hyrule.

“What’s on your mind?” She asks. His eye twitches at the contact.

He brushes her hand off, “nothing. You just continue talking about,” he searches his mind for what she was speaking of, “sand seals.”

She gently elbows him in the side and says through pursed lips, “are you sure? Do you really want to seal the deal?” 

When he moves to leave, she snorts, pulling him back down by his wing, “oh, Revali. I came here to distract you from your thoughts. You think too much,” then, she gently taps his beak, “lighten up.”

“Unhand me--” He starts, but then she wraps her arm around his shoulders, pulling him in close to her side. 

“Now tell me what you were thinking on.” 

He huffs. Urbosa is warm. Unnaturally so for such a featherless woman. They don’t speak as Revali puts a wing around Urbosa and sighs into her side, finally relaxing as the moon starts to rise in the sky.

“I know you love to talk about yourself,” she finally singsongs. 

Which is true.

Instead of fessing up, he asks, “what exactly is a Zora tunic?” 

She stares down at him confusedly. Her earring smacks him in the face as she lays her head on his.

“A Zora tunic,” she hums. “I believe that is a tunic made by the Zora princess for the person she wishes to marry,” obviously Urbosa doesn't feel or hear him gasp, as she continues to speak, “at least, that’s what Mipha told me. Apparently it needs to fit very precisely for the magic in it to work,” she looks down at him, green eyes blinking slowly. “Why do you want to know?”

Through gritted teeth, he says, “oh, no reason.”

And pushes himself further into her side. Urbosa simply shrugs and accepts it.

The moon gently floats across the sky, effortless in every move it makes. 

A proposal, then. 

A shaft of light streams through the mountains. 

That’s what Mipha is preparing. She is going to propose to Link. She and Link will be married in no time flat-- Link will accept, and they will marry, and Link will be a Zora prince, and off the market, and Revali realizes something as all these thoughts rush into his head like a waterfall. Revali is smart, he is handsome, he is talented and skilled and downright amazing when one narrows it down. He is smart. He is so smart. Smart enough to realize what these feelings towards Mipha are, smart enough to realize what these feelings towards Link are, but he is not bold enough to say it. He is a coward.

He is also incredibly and hopelessly jealous.

“Urbosa,” he says carefully, eyes not leaving the moon. “Teach me that language Link speaks with his hands.”

Urbosa’s laugh is rumbling, but not mocking, “are you finally making an effort to speak with him after staring longingly for a week?” 

Without denying it, he whispers, “of course.”

“I’m proud,” Urbosa says, carding her fingers through Revali’s feathers absentmindedly, and he hasn’t even the mind to brush her away. 

He is going to commence a new plan-- throw any plans of killing Lynels in the trash, this is far more important.

He is going to befriend Link and keep him away from a miserable existence as a Zora prince.

-

When Revali finally decides to head to bed after learning a couple phrases in sign language, all bleary eyed and grumbling, Urbosa turns her gaze skyward and wonders.

They bet on Mipha being in love with Link, on Link being love in Mipha, but a quiet part of her that grows louder and louder with every passing moment wonders who would bet on Revali being in love with Link next dinner.

Because, surely, she would be rich if they listened to her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> how long has it been since this has been updated? like. a straight ten years. here i am my dudes im alive! this chapter was written awhile back. im like. really into other fandoms at the moment. dark souls remastered is in may i think and im excited for that so i dont know when this will update again. im so sorry and i cant believe people are actually reading this thing i came back and saw SIX bookmarks and it was like. am i alive. i have another ao3 account so coming back to this one was jarring. but thank u guys so much for actually enjoying this its so wild it was a silly little thing and will stay like that but its super cool that people liked it. i might disappear for a good ten more years before this is updated again but know that i love u all. goodbye my sons <3

Revali admits to his weaknesses.

One-hundred percent, he _admits_ to his weaknesses; like he is just too handsome for others to handle, or his archery is too outstanding for the mortal eye, or he is too eloquent that it may even be considered _dangerous_. Those are his weaknesses. He has established them, written them down, checked them off, and everything is fine.

But on that list he has never once put _selfish._

And yet, through this week, he has found himself mulling over the word, testing it on his tongue.

_Selfish._

It’s a word others may use to describe him, surely, but they’re always wrong. Other people are always wrong, he is always right-- honestly, it has been _established_ since the beginning of time… yet this time he can’t help but think that maybe they were right. Maybe he is selfish.

It all starts on the journey to Gerudo Town.

They’re leaving Zora’s Domain on a particularly gloomy day. Instead of the sun shining down on them, there are large grey clouds hanging over the Domain. It just suits the place. Nothing nice ever happens in Zora’s Domain, he can attest for it. The other Champions are filed in a line, walking, talking, laughing, and Revali is flying above them all, his bow on his back and rain on his feathers. It’s not lonely. It’s tranquil.

He finds himself looking down at them every once in awhile. One who doesn’t know Revali well might say it is because he is curious (or a snoop), or perhaps it is because he is jealous, or simply because he is concerned. They would be wrong, of course. To think that _he_ would ever be concerned about his fellow Champions? To think he _cares_ about what they get up to? To think he’s jealous…

He shakes his head and keeps flying, pulling off lazy loops in the air as he shoves the thought back into his mind that screams that he _is_ jealous. Eventually they reach a resting point: Hateno Village. It’s a quiet town, lit up with torches and crowded with animals. It gives off the feeling of a home. Perhaps it’s just him, but the waterfalls, the cliff sides, and the cold wind that whistles through the village make him reminisce. When they arrive it’s nearing nighttime.

There is nobody in the streets beside the odd few stragglers who stare at the stars. It’s a welcome change from the constant chattering he has to suffer through every day.

He looks at his fellow Champions, all shrouded in the warm light of torches, and takes in their appearances. All look beat, mostly with bags under their eyes, and a slouched walk that resembles a hunched over moblin. They walk across a wooden bridge, footsteps a constant march of sorts, and when Mipha almost falls into the water below them, he decides to drag his sleepy coworkers (friends) to the nearest inn. He pushes the door open with a single wing, holding a tired Urbosa in the other with a barely comprehensive Zelda on his shoulder, and finally gets them some beds.

He pays for it himself and does not blink twice when none of them thank him. Being the smartest and nicest Champion is a thankless job, surely.

But then, as they file up the stairs and all squeeze into their room, Zelda lays a hand upon his shoulder, other one flying to her mouth to stifle a yawn, and whispers:

“Thank you.”

To which he scoffs at and pushes her towards a bed.

His coworkers collapse into the beds he has so kindly provided. Urbosa and Zelda in the biggest one near the door, Daruk on a small cot with Mipha tucked into his side, barely visible, covered in blankets, appearing to be a small force at the side of a giant boulder. Then there’s Link, who hasn’t got a bed, but instead opts to sleep on the floor. He could easily take Revali’s bed. He wonders why he does not. While it’s true that Revali _would_ in fact _murder_ him if he tried, wouldn’t anyone with common sense at least _ask?_

Common sense.

He looks to Link on the floor, head tipped onto his shoulder, leaned up against the fireplace, loud snores already pouring out of his mouth, and finds himself smiling at the very sight.

Common sense does not exist with that boy.

Revali lays down on his bed. It’s the softest one, obviously, and smells of lavender and vanilla. The sheets are a light blue, whereas the others are a drab grey, and he lays atop them, simply staring up at the ceiling as a chorus of snores plays in the background. Outside, the crickets sing gently, barely heard, but he has keen ears. He shuts his eyes for a second; lays a wing upon the pillows, cranes his head back to where the Link sleeps, and notices something.

Despite laying by the fireplace he is shivering, teeth chattering, and gripping himself to keep warm. Revali huffs at this.

What a weak boy.

He then rips off a blanket and throws it towards him. It lands straight on his head. Revali does not look to see if the action woke him up, but instead snuggles under the blankets and tries to sleep.

Of course, sleep does not come.

He stares up at the wooden roof. Counts tiles. Flips over. Counts floorboards. Shoves a pillow onto his head. Tries to sleep. Yet nothing comes. The only sounds are the soft snores of the Champions and the very quiet routines of the inn workers below. Eventually he gives up, pulls himself out of bed, and pads towards the window. It leads out to the roof, streaked with rain, obscuring the night sky from where he is. He has a wistful thought about how beautiful the stars must look this time. That thought is promptly shoved away as he reasons-- it’s too cold, too rainy, his feathers would get dirty, sweet goddesses _don’t_ go out there--  and takes to staring out the window, face in the palm of his hand.

The rain trickling down is mesmerizing. He finds himself getting lost in the drops as they patter gently on the window. He counts them in an attempt to sleep.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five--

A hand on his shoulder causes him to jump.

“What?” He hisses angrily, turning around in a flurry. Before he can get another word out he sees who he’s facing and his mouth goes dry.

Link stands there. His hair is messy, his eyes are sleepy, he is without shoes, and most importantly he has the blanket Revali threw at him around his shoulders.

He surveys him for a second before sticking his beak in the air, trying not to stare pitifully at him, “what do _you_ want?”

Link blinks slowly, tiredly, before raising his hands. Slowly, he signs something, sleepy and unaware, but Revali catches none of it. Those two hours of practice each night with Urbosa couldn’t ever prepare him for this. Despite being slow as a snail, Link’s hand movements are still too fast for him to comprehend, and it has him hitting his head against the wall. Of course, metaphorically, yet he can still feel the headache it would cause bubble up.

Revali opens his mouth to speak, but Link is signing again, hands faster this time. Yet again, Revali catches none of it. In the background he hears crickets. They seem to be laughing at him.

“I’ve no idea what you’re saying,” he spits.

Link stares at him for a beat, eyes narrowed, still sleepy.

Revali rolls his eyes at him, “so it’s safe to assume everyone speaks your language?”

Link shrugs, signs something.

Nope.

“How self centered of you.”

Again, Link signs something hopelessly working his fingers over the words. Revali follows the movements carefully, then shakes his head once he’s finished,  “it’s too fast,” he whispers, turning back to the window to gaze out again. Perhaps if he ignores him he’ll go away. He really does not have the mind to deal with this right now. Nor is his heart strong enough to stand all this beating. “Go to sleep.”

He hears Link sigh (just a puff of air), then his hand is on his shoulder again. This time when Revali turns around Link has his palms thrusted out. He stares at them quizzically before looking up at Link, who stares at him expectantly. Confused, he puts his palms out as well, and then Link shoves his hands into Revali’s palms, forces him to close his fingers around his hands, and slowly forms words-- letters-- into his hands, delicate fingers precise in their movements.

_"Why?"_

He says, then points to the blanket around his shoulders.

He understands. He understands what Link is trying to say.

Revali blinks, then gestures for Link to put his palms out, and slowly his fingers form around the letters, a bit bewildered and shaky and slow and uncertain, but still a touch excited. Link’s hands clasped around his fingers is an unnatural feeling. He has never communicated with Link before. He has never wanted to-- no, he has never ached to speak with him, not until Mipha happened.

What an odd blessing that girl is.

_"Cold."_

Link clasps his hands and beams at him. Revali can’t help but beam back.

He is _so_ pathetic.

This time when he puts his palms out, Link signs faster. In his excitement he seems to be waking up, shaking a bit, but still uncertain, and Revali realizes that Link is probably just as confused as him. Half the time he doesn’t acknowledge that Link even exists, and when he does it’s too comment on his poor performance, or to mock him for something that Revali has and Link does not, or to comment on how _close_ Mipha and him seem (despite it being none of his business in any way shape or form, and in reality he’s just jealous, but Revali would sooner die than tell Link that), and despite it all here Link is.

Revali can barely hang onto the letters that Link signs.

“Didn’t know you spoke...” He repeats as Link signs the words. Then he shakes his head, looks up at Link, and takes in the dumb smile on his face. He tries not to smile himself. He fails. His smile is a bit lopsided. “I do-- well, just barely, but of course I’m accelerating in my studies.”

He feels Link sign:

_"Teacher?"_

“Teacher?” He repeats to himself, slowly. “Oh, of course, my teacher,” he turns back to look at her, all snuggled up to Zelda, and runs a finger through the feathers on his neck. They’re standing up. They almost never stand up like this. “It’s Urbosa.”

Link’s eyebrows furrow. Slower, he signs.

_"Why?"_

Revali averts his eyes, suddenly feeling very small, “I wanted to communicate with another member of our team.” He coughs. “O-Of course, I also wanted to expand my large expanse of knowledge, and this silly Hylian hand language is just another way of doing so,” he mumbles. He then dares a look back at Link. He shines like the sun, a perfect representation of pure joy. 

Link hands form around words. Then he stops, a confused look on his face. His eyebrows furrow and he crinkles his nose before taking Revali’s palms again. He feels his heartbeat pick up as Link holds his hands gently, contemplating his words before he finally signs (slower this time, slower than before).

“Want me to teach you…” Revali trails off as Link stops signing, looking up with hopeful eyes.

Revali blinks down at him.

“You would like to…?”

He surveys Link, then his eyes fall down to their hands. They are more intertwined as opposed to simply laying upon one another. He feels his heart pick up. He does not comment on it, but instead averts his gaze from Link’s determined one.

“You want to teach me? The language?” He asks, then risks a look back to find Link nodding. He laughs, then, “really? You? I didn’t take you for much of a teacher, what with your nature.”

Link sticks out his tongue at him, then signs,

_"Can I?"_

He feels his way around the letters, humming once he understands. He then sits on it for a moment.

Link teaching him sign language? More time with Link? More time to have his dumb feelings grow?

He looks back at Link, who stares at him with puppy dog eyes, with messed up hair, and wrinkled clothes, and the indent of bricks on his right cheek from sleeping on them. He still feels the heavy weight of Link’s hand in his when he nods.

_"Yes."_

 He signs into Link’s palm to seal the deal.

 He pretends not to notice the delighted look he is given at this.

 --

And that was where it started. After that night (where he barely slept because his fingers couldn’t stop from forming letters, words, grasping onto them with all he had. Link slept soundly on the floor) he started talking to Link more. Well, the talking was limited to paper and slow signing, but they had something that they hadn’t before. A bond. It was small, fragile, and based on practically nothing, but Revali felt like he had gained a friend just by learning some silly little language. To think that hand games would cause him such joy. To think that spending nights with Link, seated by the fire while the others slept, would cause him to start feeling even stranger than before. It wasn’t a matter of how handsome Link’s face was, but instead how much he smiled, and how his laugh could be spurred by puns told through finger games.

It wasn’t just a small attraction anymore-- one that caused him, at best, two sleepless nights (and perhaps a few meltdowns). It morphed into something worse; a beast, of sorts, that clawed its way into Revali’s heart and tore open everything inside. It was large. It loomed over him with every night he spent with Link.

It’s… horrible.

“It’s love,” Urbosa says, quietly polishing her equipment atop a log. Revali himself is pacing across the clearing they’re in. They’re near Hyrule Field, about an hour walks away, situated in some forest that is a sad excuse for a camp full of world-saving Champions. The other Champion’s have gone to scout the area which means he can _shout_ as much as he wishes and nobody but him, Urbosa, and the deer will hear.

“Love--” He turns around on his heel. “Love?! Urbosa, pardon me, but what do _you_ think love is?”

She stops polishing her shield for a second to look up at him.

“Exactly what you’re describing,” she states plainly, continuing her movements. “The whole thing where he makes you happy, the thing where you said he has a handsome face, the thing where you said you were jealous of Mipha...” She doesn’t look up at him. If she were to look she would see the awful thing he's become. A sentimental  _idiot._ “It just all adds up.”

She flits her eyes up to meet his. He averts his eyes. He's a mess. 

“What you’ve just said is completely untrue,” he huffs. “I have never said any of those things!”

At this she _smiles,_ “yes, but you did sign them.”

“And?”

She laughs, “where’d you learn that much sign language? Obviously you like spending time with him. Obviously he likes spending time with you. I’m just saying,” she shrugs.

And Revali tugs at his braids and screams into his hands. He faintly hears her say something witty in the background as he screams. She sits quietly until he’s done, deflated, and falls onto the log next to her. She welcomes him with a pat on the shoulder.

“Urbosa,” he sniffs, “it’s horrible.”

“I know” she cooes.

“Make it leave,” he wails.

She pats his head, “you don't really want it to leave."

"I don't and that's the worst thing about it!"

She laughs, head tilted back, then picks up her hand and signs, “ _now stop being so dramatic.”_


End file.
